Latches to prevent overthrow of ramming rolls for automatic guns



y 1961 w. v. GOODHUE Em 2,990,752

LATCHES TO PREVENT OVERTHROW OF RAMMING ROLLS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS Filed Sept. 4, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 60 Fig.1 5 44 tors Wllz'am VGoodhue Roland Heeley July 4, 1961 Filed Sept. 4, 1947 W. V. GOODHUE ET AL LATCHES TO PREVENT OVERTI-IROW OF RAMMING ROLLS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 fnvenfars VVZZZiam VGood/zue July 4, 1961 w. v. GOODHUE ETAL 2,990,752

LATCHES TO PREVENT OVERTHROW OF RAMMING ROLLS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS Filed Sept. 4, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventors T/Vz'ZZz'amVGoodhue Roland Heeley United States Patent M Y 2 990 752 LATCHES T0 PREVElYT OVERTHROW 0F RAM- MING ROLLS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS William V. Goodhue, East Greenwich, R.I., and Roland Heeley, Beverly, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Machinery 'Corporation, Flemington, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 4, 1947, Ser. No. 772,166 3 Claims. (Cl. 89--47) This invention relates to a ramming mechanism for breech-loading antiaircraft guns in which the round is engaged by rolls mounted on swinging mounts. It is herein shown as embodied in a ramming mechanism of the type illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,442,401, granted June 1, 1948, upon the application of Dabrasky, Goodhue and Taylor.

In the automatic ramming mechanism which is illustrated in the above patent ramming rolls on swinging mounts are power driven and engage the sides of a round of ammunition to carry it into the gun. After the gun has been fired the roll mounts are swung aside to permit the cartridge case to be expelled between them. The opening of the roll mounts for this purpose is effected by spring-operated mechanism connected to a yoke which joins the roll mounts and this mechanism is rendered efiective when the gun recoils by reason of the fact that it moves out of contact with a fixed member on the gun carrier. Difiiculty has been experienced because of overthrow of the roll mounts with a consequent tendency to rebound back into the path of the expelled cartridge case, thus injuring the rolls.

An object of the invention is to provide means for preventing overthrow of the roll mounts so as to avoid the above mentioned difliculty.

In the illustrated arrangement the roll mounts are connected by -a yoke and links. A spring operated device acts upon the yoke to swing the roll mounts aside, thus opening the rolls when the gun recoils. In accordance with a feature of the invention, a latch is arranged to slip in behind the yoke when the roll mounts are partially pushed aside by the passing ammunition, during the ramming operation. Associated with the yoke is a rod extending longitudinally of the gun which engages at its forward end a fixed portion of the gun carriage when the gun is in battery, and which is spring pressed forwardly when the gun recoils. An enlarged portion of this rod moves over the latch and releases it as the spring becomes active to complete the opening operation. This latter movement, however, is short and consequently does not cause overthrow.

This and other features of the invention will be further-described in the accompanying specification taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through the roll mount parallel to the gun axis and then axially of the bore of the gun;

FIG. 2 is a view, in plan, of the roll carrier and the associated yoke, on a larger scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line III-III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a rear'elevation of the ramming rolls with a round of ammunition engaged by the rolls.

The illustrated arrangement is designed to ram and set the fuse of a round of'arnmunition (FIG. 1) in which a projectilell), which is provided with a fuse ring 12, is carried-at the forward end of a cartridge case 14 which, at its'rea-r end (FIG. 3), has the usual flange 16 (FIG. 3). The gun is of the breech-loading type, and comprises a barrel 18 on which there is mounted a breech ring 20, while the latter is arranged for the vertical movement of abreechblock-ZZ. Associated with 2,990,752 Patented July 4, 1961 this breechblock are extractors 24, a firing pin 26, and a lifting crank 28.

Attached to the gun barrel 18 are ribs 30 (FIG. 4)

designed to slide in grooved ways 32 during recoil move- I ment. These ways are attached to a cradle 34 tiltably mounted by means of trunnions 36. A ramming and fuse-setting mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is assembled in a casing 37 attached to the breech ring by a single lower bolt 38 and two upper bolts 40 and 42 (FIG. 4). The operation of this mechanism is controlled by mechanism which is not here shown but which is contained within a control box 44 supported in fixed position on the cradle. It will be understood that the ramming mechanism recoils with the gun and therefore separates from the control box 44 after the gun is fired.

The ramming rolls 46 (FIGS. 1 and 4) are grooved the better to fit the periphery of a round of ammunition and are provided with pairs of frusto-oonical rubber covers 48 having oppositely directed apices to form the aforesaid groove. These rolls must cooperate with portions of the round (FIG. 1) which are of radically different diameters. Consequently they are supported by shafts 50 positioned in mounts 52 which may be swung in and out about the axes of vertical drive shafts 54. Power to rotate these rolls is delivered from the control box 44 through a clutch 56 and a horizontal shaft 58 which is connected to one of the vertical shafts 54 by miter gears 60. At the bottom of the shafts 50 and 54 are meshing pinions 62 and 63 respectively. Power is then transferred to the opposite rolls through pinions such as are shown at 64 in FIG. 4. The limit of inward movement of the roll mounts 52 is determined by a central stop 66. Upon the upper ends of the roll mounts are collars 68 (FIG. 2) having short bifurcated arms 70, and the arms of opposite mounts are joined by a yoke 72 the opposite ends of which are connected to these short arms 70 by links 74 (FIGS. 2 and 4).

Passing through the yoke 72 and extending parallel to the axis of the bore of the gun is a lower rod 76 on which there is fixed a guide sleeve 78 (FIG. 3) containing a spring 80 which is interposed between this sleeve and the yoke 72, thus forming a yielding connection between the rod and the yoke. This rod extends forwardly through a bracket 82 mounted on the breech ring 20 and at its forward end 84 it abuts the control box 44 when the gun is in battery position. The rear end of the rod is guided by the sleeve 78 as it slides in a bracket 86 which is mounted on the casting 37 in which the ramming and fuse-setting apparatus is mounted.

Above the lower rod 76 and parallel to it is an upper rod 90 which is fixed to the bracket 86 at one end. Slidable with respect to the upper rod is a block 92 which is threaded on the lower rod 76. This forms an abutment for transferring to the lower rod the pressure of a spring 94 which surrounds the upper rod and bears against a nut 96 thereon. When the gun recoils, the forward end 84 of the lower rod leaves the control box 44, thus allowing the spring 94 to expand and move the lower rod 76 forward to swing the roll mounts 52 axis of the ammunition and hence effectively prevent outward movement of the jaws 100. Rotation of the cage 104 to turn the fuse ring 12 is effected through power delivered to a ring gear 110 through connections to a driven shaft (not shown) by way of gearing within a casing 112 (FIG. 2). After the fuse has been set, the jaws are withdrawn by sliding the ringirack 1081b)! means of a series of pinions 114 (FIG. 1') another of which is shown inFIG. 2 at 116. These pinions are turned. by reason of the axial movement of a rack 11'8,-when power is delivered from the controlbox, to produce longitudinal movement of a rod 120 which is attachedto said rack 118. This is eifective to shift the ring rack 108 to the position shown in FIG. 3, in which the jaws l/are withdrawn to positions outside the path of movementof the cartridge case 14.

When the gun is in battery position ready .for the presentation thereof of a round of ammunition, the parts are positioned as in FIG. 1, the breechblockZZ'being lowered and the forward end 84 of the lower rod 76 engaging the casing 44 so as resiliently to- .presslthe feed rolls 46 together into the position shown in FIG. 4. These rolls are then being rotated at slow speed and, when a road is guided to the bore of the gun by, a guide roll 122' (FIG. 1), the forward end .of it is grasped by the feed rolls and drawn inwardly untilthe fuse ring engages the fuse-setting jaws, thus stopping further progress of the round and, by reason of the frictional engagement of the rolls with the round, causing them to stall.

The fuse-setting operation then takes place and, when this is completed, the rod 120 (FIG. 2) will be pressed rearwardly by power from the control box, thereby to slide the ring rack I08 rearw-ardly and to withdraw the fuse jaws (FIG. 3). This will allow the feed rolls 46, 48 to carry the round forwardly into the gun and in so doing they will be driven at higher speed. It shouldibe noted that the flange 16 of the rear end of-the cartridge case 14 is the largest portion thereof and that when this passes the feed rolls, as shown in FIGS; 3 and 4, it spreads the roll mounts apart and in so doing reacts'through the links '74 (FIG. 2) to move the yoke 72 forward against the tension of the spring 80. In that forward position the yoke is temporarily held by a latch 130 (FIG. 3) carried by a pivot 132 which is supported inthe casing 37 which forms a housing for the fuse-setting and ramming mechanism. A spring 134 is provided to cause the latch 130 to slip in behind the yoke 72.

Further forward movement of the round continues until the flange 16 on the cartridge case engages the extractors 24, (FIG. 1) thereby releasing the breechblock 22 and permitting it to be moved upwardly to closed position under the impulse of a spring (not shown). The gun may then be fired by means of the firing pin 26 operated manually or otherwise, whereupon the gun 18 and all the mechanism attached to it, as shown in FIG. 1, will move rearwardly or to the left by reason of the recoil of the gun. After this recoil movement is completed the gun starts to counter-recoil and at about that time the breechblock 22 is opened to permit the remaining gases within thegun to expel cartridge case 14 rearwardly between the fuse jaws 100 and then between the rolls' l6, 48.

When the gun recoils, the lower rod'76, 84 is allowed to move forwardly under the pressure of the spring 94 to open the rolls. It will be recalled, however, that the rolls are in nearly their wide open positionsbecause they have been held apart by the latch 130 at the time when they were pressed apart by the passage of the cartridge case as it was fed inwardly. As the rod 76-m'oves forwardly a bumper head 136 (FIG. 3) on the rear end of it is carried forward untilit engages the yoke 72-and completes the outward movement of the roll mounts'52 so' that the rollshare completely separated and will not be injured by the. expelled cartridgecase. This bumper head136-depresses the latch 130 as it approaches engagement with the yoke 72 so that the roll mounts are onlyhelcbapart by reason of the engagement ,ofthezbumper head 136' with the yoke 72 under the force' of the spring; 94; The extent of movement of: the head forwardly is small and consequently it remains in engagement with the latch to hold it depressed until the gun returns to battery and the portion 84 of the rod 76 engages the control box.

The angular movement of the roll mounts 52, which is affected by this engagementofthebumper head with the yoke, is comparatively small and consequently the force of the spring 94, even though it reacts speedily upon the mechanism, will not be sufiicient to cause the roll mounts to overthrow and hence to engage the; inner portion of the casing 37. This spring 94 will also prevent return of these rolls back into the path of the rearwardly moving cartridge case.

Furthermore, it will be noted that the opening of the roll mounts by the action of the spring 94 causes a planetary movement of the drive pinions 62 on the roll shafts 5i) with respect to the pinions 63 on the shafts '54. These shafts are geared to theupper miter gear 60, which then is stationary, and the inertia of the rolls thus imposes some strain upon the roll-driving mechanism. However, this strain is very much lessened by the fact that the roll mounts have been pushedoutwardly nearly as far as they are to go by the passing of the round of ammunition and, since this takes place progressively in small amounts as the diameter of the ammunition changes, it will be relatively gentle and will not unduly strain the driving mechanism.

Having thus described our invention, what we claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a breech-loading gun mounted for recoil movement, swinging mounts disposed upon opposite sides of a path leading to the breech of the gun, ramming rolls mounted on said mounts forv engagement with opposite sides of a round to carry it into the gun, the rolls being separated by the round, means including a yoke connecting said mounts, operating means associated with said yoke arranged to move it rearwardly to draw in the rolls when the gun is in battery position and forwardly to separate the rolls when the gun recoils, and a latch engaging said yoke to hold it in the latter position, said operating means being effective to cause an increased outward separating movement of the rolls during recoil of the gun.

2. In combination, a breech-loading gun mounted for recoil movement, swinging mounts disposed upon opposite sides of a path leading to the breech of the gun, ramming rolls mounted on said mounts for engagement with opposite sides of a round to carry it into the gun, means including a yoke connecting said mounts, a rod associated with said yoke for moving the yoke in one direction when the gun is in battery position to pull together the rolls, a latch for said yoke to hold the rolls in a partly separated position to which they have been displaced by the advancing round of ammunition, and a spring-connected to the rod rendered effective when the gun recoils for causing the rod to draw the yoke away from the latch, thereby increasing the separation of the rolls.

3. In combination, a breech-loading gun mounted-for recoil movement, swinging mounts disposed upon opposite sides of a path leading to the breech of the gun, driven ramming rolls mounted on said mounts for engagement with opposite sides of a round to carry it into the gun, means including a yoke connecting said mounts, a rod associated with said yoke, means acting on the rod to cause it to press the yoke in one direction when the gun is in battery position to bring the rolls together, a springassociated with the rod to separate the rolls upon recoil of the gun, a latch for said yoke to hold the-rolls in a separated position effected by the advancing round of ammunition, and means on the rod for increasing the separation of the rolls by drawing the yoke away from the latch when the gun recoils, said latter means including a head to release the latch prior to the completion of the separating movement.

No references cited. 

